This morning, I got to go over to the Tribal preschool and do a brief presentation about birds.
I wanted to speak to them specifically about the birds that are regularly seen on the reservation; Killdeer, Meadowlarks, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Owls, Crows, Bald Eagles. I brought some things from home and went around the office gathering items (most of offices in this building have more dead animal parts than any taxidermy). I had several bird skulls, some feathers, a couple of sets of talons, a nest. I also brought a new book I'd recently purchased for Anna, so that I could show them pictures of each bird and play the sound for them.
Now, as I mentioned, these were preschoolers, so I knew to keep my talk short and very focused. My plan was to stun them into silence with my brilliant and fascinating presentation. There would be epiphanies! I would create mini-conservationsists! They would re-think their career-paths! Lives would be changed, people.
Here's how it went:
Me: "Do you know what birds use to make their nests..."
Boy #1: "They use sticks and mud and then THEY TAKE THE MUD AND THE STICKS AND THEY GET SOME OTHER STUFF AND THEY TURN INTO TRANSFORMERS!!!"
Me: "Today when you go outside, you might see a Killdeer or a crow or..."
Boy #2: "Did you know that once my big brother saw a crow in our yard AND IT ALMOST TOOK HIS TRANSFORMER!!!"
Me: "Look at this feather. What kind of..."
Boy #3: "I got new tennis shoes and they're brown JUST LIKE MY TRANSFORMER!!!"
Me: "Have any of you ever seen a Bald Eagle flying overhead? Let me show you how big their wingspan...."
Boy #4: "Once, a Bald Eagle flew over my dad's truck and I climbed out the window and got on the eagle's back JUST LIKE A TRANSFORMER!!!!!"
sigh.
I'm sure I made a difference in the life of at least one of the little girls.
She liked my pierced nose.
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7 comments:
Well, influencing children, that's what it's all about.
You've probably heard the saying, or seen the motivational poster, I dont remember the exact words, but it's something like:
"50 years from now, no one will care what kind of car you drove, or how big a house you lived in. But the world my be a different place because you influced a child to pierce her nose."
I think that's how it goes...
Yep, that's how the saying goes - exactly. You HAVE made a difference in the world. I'm so damned proud to call you my sister...
I thought "transformers" were old and passe'. So, did these kids just find out about them (get old outdated junk donated to them?) or am I outdated?
Some days are like that, Kate. No matter how hard you try------. Kids that age have the attention span of 1/millionth of a nano second. You tried ! And that litttle girl will grow up to have peircings ALLLLLLLL over her body!
Mom, I don't know about the Transformers...either they're "back" or these poor kids (literally and figuratively) are just now getting their hands on them. Like I said to David, I even left out a couple of Transformer references when retelling this story: one kid managed to find a connection between birds and the SMELL of his transformer.
oy.
But one little girl (the one who will beg to pierce her nose when she's 12), wanted to KISS everything, including the SKULLS, the feathers, and me. :)
Overall, it was a cute and memorable experience.
Oh, man, you guys are soooo out of it,... >rolling eyes<...
Yes, Transformers are back. And they are bigger, better and cooler than they ever were the first time. There was a Transformer movie out recently,... Christmas or January, I think.
Boring stuff like politics,... ask Kate. But for the important questions, like Transformers, ya gotta ask me.
>sigh<
I can hear it now.
"Mom, this lady came to school today and she said that birds were really transformers and we're all gonna die, and yeah can I get my nose pierced"
Thanks again for my morning laugh!
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